In the theoretical introduction of the dissertation I discuss what trauma is. I look at different kinds of trauma, trauma in relation to cultural context, trauma and body, and explain the consequences of trauma. I also discuss the terms secondary trauma and retraumatization. In the continuation I present the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study and discuss in greater detail the challenges children and adolescents with adverse childhood experiences face in school and with social care. Additionally, I introduce trauma informed care and its principles. I argue such an approach is essential and I provide an example of a school, which follows trauma informed care. Finally, I discuss attachment theory and a new approach, which is based on the understanding of attachment theory.
In the empirical part, I present the findings of my qualitative study. As part of the research I was interested to learn how qualified members of staff in primary school Radeče and at the Social care centre Laško interpret the term 'adverse childhood experiences' and how they recognise such experiences. I additionally wanted to find out if the interviewees saw any connection between adverse childhood experiences and adult life. Lastly, I inquired about their response to adverse childhood experiences.
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